Family stories and research stories that tell the tale of my personal research. If you have a similar family line or want to know more. Please contact me!

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Christmas Letters

Christmas cards have always been an integral part of the
Christmas season for me…unfortunately; they seem to be going out of style as is
the handwritten letter. Isn’t it sad
that many of the younger generation will never understand the value of a letter
or even a newsy email? They only want to
communicate in short tweets or texts and don’t care for the long and leisurely
conversation that lasts over 140 characters.

When I was a little girl, I vividly remember watching my mother
sit at the kitchen table writing out notes in her Christmas card. Mom had absolutely beautiful handwriting with
an artistic flair – I’ve seen letters that she wrote to her sister and mother
and those old Christmas notes had bits and pieces of their lives that I had
never known. I remember that it was
exciting as a young child getting those Christmas letters in the mail and
having my chance to read them. There was
a wealth of information in them about family activities and events – connections
to old and new friends and in some cases an actual Christmas card that came to
me personally. Those Christmas cards were
often a shared time with my parents when I learned about their friends and our
family and learned how to read different handwriting and words that I wasn’t
used to. For me…they were a learning
opportunity that I took advantage of.

We still have some of the old Christmas cards and letters
that were sent by family members – and many of the Christmas letters that my
mother sent out once she got a computer.
I think Mom was one of the first people I know of who sent out a Christmas
newsletter every year. I look back on
those old letters and relive some of the wonderful memories of the last 30
years. One year she sent out some favorite
family recipes, when her grandkids came along – her letters were full of
them. When I moved out on my own, I too
sent out Christmas cards. My list was
much smaller than my parents but even then they were full of friends who I had
not seen for a long time as well as beloved family members. I followed my
mother’s example and wrote my own Christmas letter that was full of everything
that was important to me – my job & home, my family & friends and my
pet. Not too terribly imaginative but they
improved with practice.

Today I send out cards to my parent’s friends and family and
my own. I still remember that last
Christmas letter that my Mom sent out.
She wasn’t feeling well and I helped her write it, print it, and got her
labels done. There were still many that
she wrote a handwritten note to. Mom downplayed
her own health problems and instead focused on the positive…that was her
attitude. I’m sure when everyone went
through their cards at the end of the Christmas season that year that they
paused on her card. So, now when I write
my letter, print it and my labels then sit at the kitchen counter to write a
note or two, I feel a kinship with my mother and grandmother and all of the
other family members who have shared Christmas cards through the years. Perhaps someday – someone will pick of that
old letter and read it and wonder about the people in the letter. Perhaps they too will take it upon themselves
to research and find out who they were.
Those letters are a window to our lives and communicate what is
important to use as the years pass by. Wouldn’t
you love to find a passel of letters written by your ancestors…and if you did –
wouldn’t they be a precious resource!